Paint The Town Edd
by winchesterbourbon
Summary: Eddward was the single grain of rice to tip the scale, sending everyone's lives upside down.
1. Chapter 1: I Think I Smell A Rat

It was actually quite difficult to pinpoint the exact date Double D became Eddward, but he wasn't particularly picky and in all honesty he didn't care. Some days he wondered where Double D had gone, even missing the innocence in summer months before he tipped the scale. However, most days, he really enjoyed the person he had become, even if others did not. Quite a few people were not very fond of him and made absolute sure to avoid him at all costs. He remembered the days where this would bother him; the difference was, back then, people avoided him and his friends because they were seen as strange, but now, they were feared, though still strange. People went in the opposite direction when they saw him coming and were quick to step out of the way when there was no alternate route, making sure to avert their eyes from his gaze. Even the three Kanker sisters, who at one point terrorized Double D and his friends, steered clear of Eddward. Double D was a sweet, smart, and innocent boy. Eddward, on the other hand, was a whole new ball game. He was brutal, shrewd and condescending.

One could say it all started just before high school, though Eddward had to admit a storm was brewing inside him long before then. It seemed that his patience had just run thin, but in all honesty, he wasn't quite sure why he had punched the neighbor boy, Kevin. It could have been a many number of things; the pressure to be perfect, growing tired of being pushed around, an increasing desire for control. Double D had always been a kind person, advising his two best friends to behave themselves, watch their language and above all else, not resort to violence. Kevin hadn't even said anything too harmful or out of the ordinary. It was like any other day, and as usual, Kevin teased Double D and his friends, but it went downhill as soon as the redhead called him Double Dork. It was a normal thing for Kevin to call him, and if anything, Double D got along with Kevin better than Ed or Eddy did, but for whatever the reason, it sent him over the edge. His fist landed hard on Kevin's lip and upon impact, it seemed the entire neighborhood had grown still, with every pair of eyes wide and on him. For a moment, Double D contemplated apologizing, assuming it would most likely stop the staring from the crowd, but it was only for a brief moment. It felt as though they were all holding their breath for him, waiting for his next move and he realized he liked the feeling. He enjoyed that they were all waiting on him and he most certainly enjoyed the shock he had caused. With that, he silently refused to apologize and shot a vicious glare to Kevin, who held a hand to his busted lip.

"It's Eddward now," he said steadily before shoving his fists into his pockets.

No one dared to call him Double D again, or Double Dork for that matter, not even his two best friends. Why would they? The sudden outburst had startled both of them, even rambunctious Eddy, who from that moment on, tiptoed carefully around Eddward and refrained from calling him the pet name he had given him long ago; sockhead. How it had gone downhill from there, Eddward could care less. All that mattered to him now was that for once in his life, he wasn't seen as weak and he wasn't at all afraid of the others. They were afraid of him, and it was as it should be.

With a sigh, Eddward sat up on his bed. He despised thinking of the past, let bygones be bygones, as they say. For the most part, he succeeded in forgetting his former life, but occasionally, and without his consent, it snuck up on him, pulling him into an aura of nostalgia and he reveled in it. It was a weakness and he couldn't afford to have his own personal Achilles' heel. However, there were times where he allowed himself a moment of frailty, basking in his own memories. Sometimes he tasted blood, sometimes he could smell the fallen leaves in the autumn air, and every so often, but not too frequent, a sadness overtook him, welling his eyes with tears and a thick knot would form in his throat. As much as he enjoyed whom he had become, he rather missed when he was Double D.

Eddward reached for his Marlboro Reds, neatly placed on the nightstand and contemplated smoking in his room. The thought left just as quickly as it came upon remembering Mother noticed everything, and not wanting to hear her nag, he stood up from the bed and pulled his dark leather jacket over his red hoodie. He thought to himself, as he grabbed his boots from outside of his room, about his mother. She, along with Father, saw him as a disappointment and had given up on him long ago. They said he had so much potential, with a ridiculous IQ and he chose to throw it all away, which he found hilarious. Apparently, his behavior, the way he dressed and the cigarettes he smoked affected his intelligence. Albeit, it had been known that with some individuals this was the case, however only because they decided not to continue learning, or they were taking too many hallucinogens that fried their brain to the point where they were almost as incoherent as the rest of the world. He didn't blame them, though; sometimes having a brilliant mind could be a hefty burden, but there were ways to calm the mind, carefully and responsibly. Knowledge was power, the very key to existence and to throw it away was a shame. To ease his own mind, he ventured towards the path of recreational drug use. Nicotine, caffeine and certain pills that affected his performance positively. He could hardly care less what it did to his body, seeing as he would die soon anyway, and as long as it didn't affect his intelligence negatively, that was all that mattered.

Eddward hardly had to wonder why his parents were bothered by his actions. All they wanted was a poster child, a perfect little machine to show off to their friends at the country club. That is, whenever they were home, which was very rare. Father specialized in theoretical physics and was constantly away with his colleagues, while mother worked all hours at the hospital, and when they weren't at their jobs, they were across the country doing God knows what. Even when he was younger, his parents were absent from the house and he could only assume that they produced an offspring in hopes that it would be capable to care for itself from the get go. How ignorant. It was all about appearances to them; have a perfect child with an excellent GPA, no history with the law, and on the path to a great university. And how foolish.

Once he had his boots on, he decided to go for a walk while smoking. Eddward left the house with his baseball bat in hand, not bothering to lock the door. If anyone were brave enough to break in, they wouldn't find anything of value to him. They could take everything from the house if they really wanted and he wouldn't care. He had no time to feel sentimental for inanimate objects, much less the ones belonging to his parents. If the two came home to an empty house, they would blame it on him, and it was almost worth inconveniencing them to leave the door open, but he decided against it and lit a cigarette before trudging on down the street. A group of teens eyed him cautiously as he passed them. He didn't blame them when he recognized their faces; the Kanker sisters. Eddward and his two goons had screwed the three over, as they did with many people. They knew better than to bother him like they did when they were younger; it would only caused them trouble.

He continued on the ruined road, full of cracks and potholes, breathing in the smoke as he put the cigarette to his lips and pulling it away to flick the ashes. Not sure exactly where he was heading, he wandered aimlessly until he reached the park. It had been a long time since he last visited the park, other than to vandalize, of slide was covered in graffiti and the teeter-totter had long since been removed. Trash littered the park and he could have sworn he passed a used condom, cringing at the thought of accidentally stepping on it. One swing was still functional and currently used, while the other hanged by a single chain. Eddward smiled upon realizing who was occupying the swing.

"Pumpkin!" he said loudly through a smirk.

The ginger teen looked up upon hearing the petname with wide eyes and Eddward could clearly see the freckles that sprinkled across the boy's cheekbones and nose. He wore his usual red cap that faced in the appropriate direction, and a large green hoodie that was much too big for his skinny frame. The boy had changed almost as drastically as Eddward had in such a short amount of time, and if Eddward didn't know any better, he would have never have guessed who the boy was before. However, he did know better; of course he did. He was Eddward, smarter than anyone else in this godforsaken neighborhood and he made sure his intelligence was known to everyone who inhabited it.

"Hey, Eddward…" the boy said, completely submissive and bringing his gaze to the dirt at his feet. Eddward leaned against the swingset, ignoring the nagging feeling at the back of his head, telling him the pole was riddled with germs. He couldn't break down in front of people and he couldn't show any weaknesses. Over the years, Eddward had gotten really good at pushing back the obsessive thoughts of bacteria and disease, though it always came back to haunt him as soon as he got home.

He took another long drag from his cigarette before throwing it to the ground and grinding it into the dirt with his foot. "So, Pumpkin, what are you up to out here all alone?"

Kevin gently pushed at the ground with his feet, sending the swing to rock him back and forth with a creek. He continued to stare at the earth below, a courtesy to his superior, and it was a few moments before he finally spoke. The winter wind brushed over the two, sending a chill down both of their spines, and the sun was setting in the distance, painting the sky with colours that would make any artist jealous. They would never be able to paint something so beautiful.

"My dad's drunk again…" the boy spoke quietly. Eddward could tell that Kevin didn't wish to talk about it, but the boy knew better than to lie when asked a question by Eddward.

The dark haired teen didn't know much about Kevin, or his life at home for that matter. He hadn't really bothered to ask until now, not that he really cared, but he was feeling quite content from the nostalgia washing over him earlier. He remembered the days where he cared about others and their wellbeing, and found no hurt in allowing himself a brief moment of the past slipping into his conscience. Besides, he reveled in shocking people.

"Is he a mean drunk?" Eddward asked bluntly.

The other boy hesitated and brought the swing to a halt. "Yeah… Kinda, I guess."

"Does he hit you?" Kevin flinched at his words.

"Sometimes."

Eddward shrugged and reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. He brought one of the sticks to his lips and lit it. "You just have to hit back harder."

Kevin laughed dryly. "He'd kill me."

"Kill him first," Eddward suggested nonchalantly. He looked to the sky just as the sun finished setting, bathing the sky in darkness. The red head remained silent and still. Minutes passed by slowly before Eddward broke the silence. "How terribly rude of me. Fag?"

Kevin's head snapped up and he stared at Eddward with his eyes wide. Eddward found the reaction quite ridiculous, but only rolled his eyes and held out his open pack of cigarettes. "I meant a cigarette, simpleton." Immediately, Kevin relaxed.

"I don't smoke."

Eddward took in the smoke and let it out before speaking. "So does your drunkard father know?"

"Know what?"

"That you're a fag," the delinquent said matter of factly.

Kevin glared at him through his hazel eyes. "I'm not a fag."

"It's acceptable if you are. I'm not one to tell another's secrets. Unless, of course, you give me reason to, but you aren't like that, are you, Pumpkin?"

"Don't call me that," the other teen snapped.

Eddward smirked. He wished the ginger would add a dweeb or dork to his demand, but Kevin knew better. Instead, Eddward imagined the words rolling out of Kevin's mouth, as though it were old times and their roles were reversed. He enjoyed whom he had become and the cloud of terror that surrounded him, choking anyone who got too close, but every so often he appreciated the past.

"Pumpkin? Why not? It suits you."

"Just don't," Kevin said more softly, realizing he had spoken poorly to Eddward.

"What would you like more? Dweeb? Dork?" Eddward asked with a smug grin spread across his pink lips. Kevin remained quiet and kicked the dirt awkwardly. The superior was rather enjoying this feeling of power over the teen, holding Kevin's past actions over his head. Until now, he hadn't thought to do so, barely even holding a conversation with the boy, not that he could while he was beating him senseless. Now seeing Kevin look so guilty gave him a terribly pleasant feeling. Eddward swung the baseball bat from his shoulder and to the ground with a hard thud, causing Kevin to jump and stare worriedly at the bat in the other's hand. "Oh, calm yourself, neanderthal. I'm not going to beat you, though you do look like you could use it. Maybe it'd get your mind off other things."

The redhead retreated his eyes from the bat and to the ground, with the occasional glance towards Eddward, and he didn't blame Kevin for his lack of trust. Eddward had been known to break his word, but Kevin didn't know that he was feeling generous today. The tension was still evident, even after a few minutes passed, neither one willing to leave; Kevin, fearful that Eddward would find his leaving rude, and Eddward, the type to have the last word as well as the last step, at least until he was satisfied. Taking a leap of faith, though Eddward would never admit to using such a word, he let the baseball bat fall from his hand and onto the ground. He took a long drag from the cigarette and didn't even bother to look for Kevin's reaction, but he could imagine the ginger had relaxed somewhat.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asked boldly, proving Eddward to be right. The other teen allowed his gaze to fall on the one in the swing.

"Smoking."

"I see that. Why are you here?"

The dark haired boy shrugged again. "Because I can be."

Kevin rolled his eyes and Eddward's heart leaped, pounding violently in his chest. The attitude Kevin was giving him was only feeding more fuel to the nostalgic fire and it excited him. He wondered what the boy was holding back after years of beatings and torment. Wondered how far he could push Kevin before the redhead broke and went back to his old ways. It would be another experiment, he thought to himself when he decided exactly what he was going to do. It would have an interesting outcome nonetheless.

"So, Pumpkin. It's alright if I call you that, yes? Or would you prefer Dork? Milksop? Ignoramus? Perhaps you'd go for Ninnyhammer. That seems right up your alley." A smirk slipped across Eddward's face as Kevin ground his teeth.

"Stop," the boy growled.

Eddward blew the smoke in Kevin's direction, receiving a scowl from the teen. "Stop what?"

"Kevin doesn't work for you?"

"No, it doesn not."

"Well, that's my name."

"No, it's not. What's your name?"

The freckled boy lost what little fire he had in him and looked to the ground. Eddward grinned when he realized Kevin wouldn't break today, though he couldn't deny that it did disappoint him. Maybe another day.

"Pumpkin…" Kevin said quietly.

"That's right. Well, it was a nice chat. Au revoir, citrouille," and with that, Eddward left the park.


	2. Chapter 2: Black Math

Gasps and heavy breathing were the only sounds that broke the silence. Occasionally a gust of chilling winter wind would howl and cold flakes of snow would dance along as though it was their song. A new layer of snow covered the ground, but it was tainted with fresh droplets of blood and a boy laid on his side. No one dared move to his rescue, staying hidden behind their curtains as they watched. They had heard the screams earlier, but weren't surprised; it was the normal routine and could only assume that someone had done something wrong.

Eddward lit a cigarette and stared down at the boy known as Jonny. Earlier in the week Jonny had given him the usual pay, but the idiot had mouthed off. Ed was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring as he stared down at the kid who was known as the town tweaker. Blood covered his knuckles as he cracked them. Eddward loved the loyalty that he held in his friend, Ed; the big oaf would do anything for him and it pleased him. The shorter one, Eddy, on the other had, was another story. He was constantly acting up, and Eddward found himself warning him on a daily basis that if he didn't get his shit together, he was going to be bumped to the top of the list. If there was one thing in this neighborhood that a person didn't want, it was to be at the top of Eddward's Shit List.

Jonny groaned and looked up at Eddward with his eyes wide, fear completely clouding them, but even through the terror, the fool didn't know when to shut up. "I paid you. I gave you the money. You said I would be safe."

Eddward scowled before running to the kid and driving his boot into Jonny's side. He did it over and over again until tears were streaming down the other boy's face. Eddward backed up and adjusted his hat as he gasped for air. A smirk was placed on his face upon hearing Jonny's broken sobs. "Well, Schitz. We just upped the price."

The dark haired boy motioned for his friends to leave just as he caught someone's eye. As his two friends began to walk away, he smiled wickedly when he realized it was Kevin, who was peering through the curtains from the safety of his home. A strange flutter was sent throughout Eddward and he bowed over Jonny's frail body with his arms spread out gracefully, as though it were all a performance for the ginger. When he stood up straight, he noticed the boy had closed the curtains and then smirked to himself. No, it won't be that easy, Pumpkin, he thought to himself. He didn't have to call to his friends to continue on without him, but he only felt it courteous to do so before he marched up to Kevin's front door and knocked. Minutes passed by and he knocked again. How rude of Kevin to keep him waiting. Finally, the door opened just enough for Kevin to peer out at Eddward.

"Greetings, ma'am. I am selling some delicious and very nutritious cookies for my Girl Scout Troop. Would you mind buying some? Or perhaps you'd like to join! A lovely little lady like you would fit very well among the Girl Scouts!" Eddward smiled widely, the gap in between his teeth apparent.

Kevin must have grown ballsy in the past two weeks since their last meeting because he pushed his entire weight on the door to close it. However, Eddward was faster, sticking his foot in the doorway and throwing a flat hand onto the hard oak with a thump. He pushed himself through, sending Kevin back a few steps, and being polite, of course, shut the door behind himself. The house was a complete disaster. Oh, the heart attack it would have given Mother if she stepped foot into this house. Beer bottles galore, scattered throughout the sitting room; some half full and some had fallen over, creating stains on the cream carpet. Clothing draped over the furniture, the curtain rods, and even the television, which at the moment was projecting a show about automobiles. Wrappers and plates were stacked on the coffee table and the ground. On the inside, Eddward was having a complete nervous wreck, but he stayed cool and collected as he picked up a stained white t-shirt with his thumb and forefinger.

"What lovely decor you have here, Pumpkin," he scowled at the shirt he had in hand, but quickly dropped it on the ground. "However, I think the Kanker Harlots have you beat by a landslide."

Kevin looked nervously at the ground and then the walls. His eyes seemed to trail around the entire room, everywhere except Eddward. Annoyed with Kevin's behavior, he brushed passed the boy, sending a chill down his spine. It was electric and exciting, but he didn't dare make it evident. Eddward continued to the stairs, remembering Kevin's room was on the second floor and only stopped for a brief moment to look at the kitchen. Dirty dishes were piled high in the sink and it appeared that every single cupboard door was open. Empty cans of soup and vegetables, as well as a few empty bottles of rum were dispersed among the counters and Eddward wondered how anyone could live in such filth. The ginger trailed behind him cautiously as they walked down the narrow hallway, worried that this was some sort of inspection. At least, that is what Eddward assumed, and he could only further assume that Kevin was frightened by Eddward's intentions. The questions seemed to radiate off of the redhead; will he beat me up? Is this a test? Is he going to steal from me? Eddward rolled his eyes as he opened the door to Kevin's room.

He was actually quite shocked at the near perfect state of the room. Compared to the entire house, the room was almost to his standards with only a few articles of clothing on the floor. The orange comforter was made on the bed with a couple wrinkles from where Kevin must have been sitting earlier and a laptop sat on the nightstand along with a lamp. The posters he had as a child had been taken down and replaced to appropriately accommodate his age; one in particular was of the anatomy of a motorcycle, confirming Kevin had not outgrown his childhood ambitions. Aside from a few things here and there, not much had changed in the room. Eddward stepped in to get a better look, allowing his eyes to gaze around the room a while longer before reaching the window. Looking out the glass, he saw that no one was in their yards or the streets for that matter, a masterpiece of his own making. He glanced over his shoulder at Kevin, who waited anxiously by the now closed door, and then fell back on the bed with a bounce.

"Well, Pumpkin. This ain't bad," he said as he felt the bed. "Oh my... How comfortable. No wonder you look so pretty everyday. Obviously you are acquiring your beauty sleep."

Kevin turned his head away from Eddward, but it was clear that he wore a scowl. He wasn't anywhere close to the breaking point, but Eddward was sure he was at the very least cracking. Kevin looked back in his direction and- was that a tint of red he saw in the boy's cheeks?

"It's not that I don't want you here, but why are you?"

Eddward gave him an exasperated shrug, throwing his hands up with a thoughtful frown. Of course he had a reason, but Kevin didn't need to know. In return, he received an empty stare from the redhead. The taller teen stood back up from the bed, and made his towards Kevin, who backed into the door. Kevin shook nervously as Eddward came inches from touching the boy and raised his arm, causing Kevin to flinch. He reached above the teen's head to grab one of the darts from the dartboard and carefully walked backwards toward the window. "Don't move, Pumpkin. I wouldn't want to damage that pretty face of yours."

Kevin closed his eyes tight as Eddward positioned himself perfectly, determined the angle, and calculated the force he we would need to make a bullseye. He took a small breath and threw his arm. There was a thud as the dart hit the board and Kevin looked up to find Eddward hit the little red circle. A smile spread across his face as he looked back to Eddward, who grinned back.

"Awesome," Kevin said, a little piece of his past self slipping through.

"It's all about precision," Eddward said limply throwing his fist in front of him and rolling up his sleeve up to read his watch. "Say, Pumpkin, are you free for the rest of the night?"

Kevin furrowed his brow in confusion. "I don't know. I mean, my dad will be home soon, so-"

Eddward made his way towards the door and Kevin moved as he opened it. "Well, that's all the more reason to get out, right?"

This was all a part of his experiment. Maybe he'd make friends with Kevin and after that he would break that trust... He would get Kevin to break and if he didn't, he would just beat the kid senseless as he always did. However, he had a feeling Kevin would snap and the very thought excited him greatly.

"Well, of course you can stay within the safety and comfort of these walls," he said ironically, "but you are more than welcome to come," and made his way down the stairs. He was halfway down Kevin's driveway when he heard the door slam followed by the pounding of feet on the ground. Eddward grinned when he found Kevin at his side.

"You decided to accompany me! An excellent decision on your part," the taller smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. Where are we going anyway?"

Eddward placed the cigarette in between his lips and stopped long enough to light it, shielding the lighter's flame from the harsh winds with his free hand. He didn't have a craving for nicotine at the moment; he only lit up to hide the cringe hanging on the ridges of his spine. "The junkyard."

"Why?"

Eddward chose not to answer Kevin's question, deeming it none of Kevin's business to know. Instead, he changed the subject. "I believe your little girlfriend, Nazz will be there."

"Nazz isn't my girlfriend," Kevin muttered.

"If we were younger you wouldn't have denied those allegations."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Well, if we were younger, you wouldn't be such a jerk."

"Touché, ma petite citrouille," Eddward grinned at Kevin's comeback. He was growing more daring by the second. They walked in silence until they reached the junkyard. It was filthy, to say the least. Eddward made sure to be cautious with each step and was discreet enough as to not draw any attention to himself. Every bone in his body was screaming to turn around and run to the safety of his room, but to say he simply fought against his urges would be an understatement.

He took in a long drag from his cigarette as he surveyed his surroundings. It had changed since his last visit last month. The piles of garbage had grown higher and new hills of rubbish were forming. The stench, however was the same, seeping into Eddward's nostrils, even when he refrained from inhaling through his nose. There was a crunch beneath his feet and he stopped walking immediately. He didn't dare look to his feet, for fear that it would be what would finally send him over the edge and running back home as though his life depended upon it. With a deep and unsteady breath, that came with a nasty and horrifyingly disgusting taste, Eddward pressed on. The two finally reached their destination; an old, rusted and extremely gaudy van.

It was purple with terrible and inaccurate orange flames painted sloppily on the sides. Eddward wondered who on earth would have felt so compelled to create such a monstrosity. It was Frankenstien's monster of motor vehicles, but also a comforting memory. The van had been in Eddward's life for a long time, and though it was hideous, he cherished it. Eddward opened side door to reveal a small group of people; Ed, Eddy, Nazz and Rolf.

Rolf had come to be known as the town dealer, supplying everyone with whatever they required, but of course, it came at a price. Generally, his price was money, however occasionally, he would settle for a trade depending on the objects importance to the buyer. Eddward's price was that Rolf could come and go as he pleased and there would be no interference among the foreigner and the three ruffians. His protection in exchange for Eddward's medication. Nazz on the other hand, had become quite the partier, diving head first into experimental drugs as well as other things once high school started. At one point in time, Eddward would have been breathe taken by her advances, however over the years, he had grown to find her just as disgusting as all the rest. Besides, she had only come on to him for her own safety and Eddward would not tolerate being used. Eddward may not be a commendable or compassionate man, but he did have morals and would never hit a female. That didn't mean he wouldn't have someone else do his dirty work. Having the Kankers bound to him by cause of blackmail, he sent them after Nazz to teach her a lesson.

Upon opening the van door each pair of eyes landed on him. Both Nazz and Rolf studied him cautiously and once he climbed in, they deemed him harmless and moved their gaze to Kevin, who climbed in behind Eddward. He closed the door and sat down next to the dark haired boy. Ed and Eddy glared at Kevin.

"What's shovel-chin doing here?" Eddy growled, his blue eyes cutting into the redhead.

"Mind your tongue, Eddy. Kevin is my guest."

Silence filled in the small spaces between them once Eddward finished speaking. They all waited for him to speak, and no one dared to say the first word. He had control as usual and a smile crept on his face. Everyone looked away, completely terrified; everyone except Kevin, who kept his eyes squarely on the older teen. It sent goosebumps to trail Eddward's body when he realized today could be the day Kevin broke.

"Let's get this over with. You have them?" He asked, his attention on Rolf, who looked up nervously.

"Yes, of course, Edd boy."

"Fantastic. Of course you are safe from any mental or physical trauma until our next deal," he said and there was a note of sarcasm in his voice.

"Thank you, Edd boy," Rolf said as he dug through a satchel at his side. He pulled out two separate containers, one labeled Xanax and the other Adderall. Eddward smiled as he leaned forward and took the pill bottles from the foreigner. He sat back and looked to Kevin who was eyeing him suspiciously; or was it curiously?

"We gonna toke yet or what?" Nazz asked, breaking thsilence and receiving a terrifying glare from Eddward. She looked down at her hands in her lap with wide eyes.

Eddward grinned once again. Oh the power he had. "But of course, dear."

Rolf pulled out a joint and held it out to Eddward as a courtesy, which was indeed a smart move on Rolf's part. In return, Eddward held up his hand and glared at the offending joint. "No, thank you, Rolf."

Rolf lit the joint and took in a deep breathe before passing it on to Nazz. It went around until it reached Kevin, who shook his head in protest.

"Shovel-chin's a little bitch," Eddy laughed and the others joined in until Eddward cleared his throat. If they believed Kevin to be a ninny, then what did they think of him? The van grew quiet.

"I mean, Kevin's just a wimp. Not you, though. You know?"

"No, I don't seem to understand. What I am collecting is that you believe that those who decide against partaking in certain activities are, as you put it, a little bitch. Isn't that what you are insinuating, Eddy?" Eddward asked. The tension grew thicker with each word that fell from his lips. His words, or more so his voice, was like poison, thicker than the aroma of the burning cannabis. No one spoke and no one moved. It was perfectly silent. "Speak, rat."

Eddy stumbled over his words. "I mean, it's just the ape. He is nothing like you. You, I mean-"

The shorter boy's words were cut short as Eddward brought his elbow to his face. Immediately blood began to spew from Eddy's nose and a whimper escaped his lips. As he crouched, Eddward walked to the door and pulled it open with a force that shook the van. He reached back and grabbed Eddy by his now, what Eddward assumed to be, broken nose and pulled him out of the van. With a groan and a thud, Eddy's stumpy body fell to the ground.

"Get up."

Eddy looked up at the taller teen with tears in his eyes. Of course he understood what was to happen next. Anyone who had the audacity to tick off Eddward was most certainly in for it. He shakily got to his feet and looked to the ground in front of him. Everyone inside the van watched anxiously, wondering if they were going to be next as they had been laughing along with Eddy only moments before. Eddward grinned to them before driving his foot in between Eddy's legs. A high pitched whine came from Eddy as he struggled to stand tall.

"I keep telling you, Eddy dearest," he sighed and grabbed his friend wrist, twirling him around and pushing his arm up towards his shoulder blades. Eddy yelped in pain. "If you keep acting like an idiot," he pushed up further, "one of these days, I'm not going to stop," and even further as his voice lowered, "and no one will find your body."

With one last push, Eddy's shoulder popped loudly and a sharp scream echoed throughout the junkyard. Eddward pushed the teen to the ground and looked to the others in the van. "Go."

He didn't have to say it twice. They all ran off after a few short moments, walking over Eddy's whimpering body. As Kevin began to walk away, Eddward called for him. "I'll see you very soon, Pumpkin."


	3. Chapter 3: Little Acorns

Only one thing was on Eddward's mind, repeating over and over in his head as he walked quickly back to his house.

_Germs._  
_Bacteria._  
_Disease._

He wanted to run. It certainly would get him home much faster, but he was able to restrain himself to a steady pace. He cursed at himself for being so careless and so aware simultaneously. His mind was torn in two.

There was a painful cringe hiding in his bones at the very thought of the hazardous waste dump, and he had to stop in the middle of the road to- _unclean, unwashed, unsanitary_- contain himself. Eddward attempted to take deep, slow breaths, but he was still very far from calm. He closed his eyes tight and fought the urge to bend over and release the contents of his stomach onto the black asphalt.

There was no escaping it. His mind always went back to it. One gag. Two gags. He bent over. It was all over. He was going to die.

I'm infected. I am dying because I am infected.

He knew this to not be true, it was only a panic attack. With a deep breath he tried to think calming thoughts about being home and being- _disgusting, foul, bacteria_- clean, however, the thoughts would quickly spiral into-

_Germs._  
_Bacteria. _  
_Disease._

Death was coming to him and at this point, he welcomed it with open arms. It was better than this. His body felt like it was on fire and within a second it was freezing cold as though he had been stripped naked and left out in a winter storm. A frozen, yet scorching hand clutched his heart, squeezing it tight.  
He was dying.  
He was dying.  
He was dying.  
He was dying.  
He was-

Pull yourself together, Eddward! his mind screamed at him. It felt as though he was disconnected from the world as another part of him took over and- _contamination_- carried him home. His mind was a blank canvas, and yet it was a ball of broken and useless rubber bands. Occasionally, he came back to consciousness, but the moments were brief, full of nausea, and repeating thoughts-  
_Germs. Germs._  
_Bacteria. Bacteria._  
_Disease. Infection._  
_Disease. Infect_-

And he was taken over again.

Eventually his house was in view and the hot flashes increased. He was so close. Approximately 100 steps away at this point. The countdown began.  
_99_  
_98_  
_97_  
_96..._  
The cold hand gripped tighter on his heart, squeezing until it burst into flames.  
_...68_  
_67_  
_66_  
_65..._  
He could run. He could run. He had everything to lose, but it almost didn't matter anymore. No matter- _dirty_- how hard he concentrated on running, his body just wouldn't allow him to. Autopilot had taken control.  
...33  
32  
31  
30...  
The only thing that comforted him was to think that in just a few short moments it would all be over. He would be home. Safe, clean home. Just a few short moments. Just a few short moments, he told himself.  
_...8_  
_7_  
_6_  
_5_  
_4..._  
Eddward's hand shook- _bacteria_- as he reached for the doorknob and pushed it open. The moment he stepped inside,- _germs_- he broke loose from his sequestered state and slammed the front door, shaking the door frame violently. Panic took over as he ran up the stairs-

_Germs, get them off me, no no no, bacteria, diseases. _

He needed to get to his bathroom, to the shower- _clean_.

In his consternation, he struggled to unzip his jacket and he gave up once he rammed into his bedroom door with such a force it it bruised his shoulder His breaths were short and unsteady.  
_Breathe in, _  
_breathe out._  
_In, _  
_out._  
In a split second decision, he decided he had no time to strip down once he reached his private bathroom. The same thoughts continued to bounce around in his head as his blank canvas was painted with scribbles and random splotches of grey and black. Gasping for air, Eddward turned the handle to the shower and not waiting for it to heat up, stepped inside.

The freezing water bounced off his leather jacket, completely soaking his hat and jeans. Soon the water became so scalding hot it was almost unbearable, but Eddward pulled through, knowing the hotter the better. his body trembled, shaking so violently he couldn't strip down.

_Stop! Stop! No! Stop!_ His mind screamed, echoing throughout his body and shaking his nerves. There was nothing he could do and his lack of control over his own body frustrated him. He slammed his arm into the ceramic tile of the bathroom wall repeatedly until his arm began to sting.

_Breathe in,_  
_breathe out.  
in, out._

"No! It's not doing anything. Breathing isn't doing me anything right now!" He shouted to no one, but himself. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the hot flow coming from the shower head.

Eddward fell against the wall, bringing the back of his head to the ceramic with a hard and heavy thud as he slid down the shower walls. Pain tingled and his vision faded to black for a moment. He sat with his kneesbent slightly-_ Breathe in, breathe out, in, out_-and his hands limply at his side, staring blankly while the hot water fell on him. Water plucked at his boots, falling like heavy raindrops on cement. The pain eventually faded, and he realized, as he did many times before, that, just like the pain, the panic attack would fade.

The happy thoughts didn't last long and were quickly replaced with hysteria. He pulled himself up and began to desperately tug at his clothes. First, his hat came off, falling from his hand to the tub with a wet thud. Water ran down his- _off, off, off, get off_- head and face, causing hair to flatten to his scalp and forehead. His jacket was next followed by his sweater and he kicked off his boots. Once everything was off and at his feet, he grabbed his loofa, covered it in soap and began to scrub.

All he could think to do was cleanse himself and remove anything that came from the junkyard-  
the stench,  
what he had stepped on,  
and any bacteria_ bacteria bacteria bacteria_ that may be clinging to his body.

The water was hot and began to burn his now raw skin, but he continued to scour himself.  
_Scrubbing._  
_Scrubbing.  
Scrubbing.  
Scrubbing. _

He shampooed his black hair three times and scrubbed his face thoroughly. When his breathing evened out, he took in deep, calming breath and let the water run down his face and body once again. It had cooled down and was now at a perfect temperature. He was safe and clean and a satisfied feeling washed over him, but there was still more to do. Eddward turned the shower off, stepped out, grabbed a towel from the cupboard and wrapped it around his waist.

He grabbed his toothbrush from his medicine cabinet, covered it with tooth paste before running water over it and placing it in his mouth. Eddward brushed in circles, running it over each tooth with care as he bent over and pulled out a pair of rubber gloves from the cupboard under the sink. When his gums began to sting, he deemed them clean enough and spat out the toothpaste, which showed a hint of red from his bleeding gums. Eddward ran the faucet to wash it away, walked into his room to grab the laundry basket, and brought it back into the bathroom.

Briefly, he took a moment to contain himself and put on the gloves before reaching into the tub to take out the clothes. He carefully placed the loofah and each article of clothing into the hamper, remembering to take the pill bottles from his coat pocket, and placed the laundry in the hallway.

Upon seeing the pills on his dresser, he removed the gloves and popped one Xanax into his mouth. And one more. They were dry going down his throat but he had no time for a drink.

When he was dressed in a white t-shirt, a pair of jeans and of course, the gloves, he brought the clothes to the basement to start a load of laundry, placing the exact amount of soap required into the machine, and went back to his room to finish removing the memory of the junkyard.

Another deep breath was taken to prepare himself.  
And another.  
And another.  
He laid a towel on the ground, knelt down, pulled the curtains open and observed the- _disgusting, germ infested, filthy, vile, repulsive_- boots, wondering what exactly he would have to do to care for them.

What had he stepped in? What had made such a noise under his foot? The sound remained in his ears, it was a crunch followed by a scrap against his boot. It could have been a needle. Good lord, it could have been a needle.  
_Breathe in,_  
_breathe out._

He reached in to grab the boot that had been exposed to the mysterious object, but pulled in hand back in fear.  
_Breathe in,_  
_breathe out._

Quick, like ripping off a band-aid, he grabbed the boot and checked underneath.

Whatever he had stepped on had been either removed during the walk or washed away in the shower. That in no way meant it was clean. Once he set the boot back into the tub, Eddward crawled to the cupboard and pulled out moisturizing soap, a rag, and some leather conditioner. It was a tedious and annoying process, cleaning each boot with care and precision, but it was the price Eddward had to pay for being careless- _foolish, inane, _imbecilic, imprudent- enough to step in something, much less enter the junkyard.

While he waited for the boots to dry on the bathroom floor, he took the time to wash the bathtub, scrub the bathroom floor and vacuum the carpet in his room. Once the boots had dried, he gently lathered leather condition on both boots and wiping away any access conditioner. He sighed when he was done and placed them outside his room as usual. Yet, he still wasn't finished; there was still one more thing to do, a finishing touch. Eddward grabbed the disinfectant, covered his mouth with his sleeve and released the spray in his room, spraying his desk, bed, nightstand, dresser and then the entire bathroom.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as gently laid down on the bed. The thoughts were completely washed away. He had control again.


	4. Chapter 4: Your Southern Can Is Mine

**A/N: I am going to be updating on Mondays. Yesterday I was not able to do so because the power was out. Mondays are horrible, so I feel like I might possibly make your day better as well as my own.**

**There is violence in this chapter, so be warned, but when has this story not had any violence?**

* * *

Some people just didn't know when to keep their big, obnoxious mouths closed, and it was starting to really annoy Eddward. He didn't mind being the bad guy- oh, he knew he was the bad guy, but one of these days he would explode. Eddward was a patient man, though everyone has a breaking point. He just didn't look forward to the day he snapped, and he was absolutely positive everyone could agree that they hoped the day never arrived. Yet, people continued to test his patience as though they were invincible and immune to his reign, but they were only wild stallions, simply needing to be saddled and broken. This unfortunate situation, however, involved Sarah, Ed's younger sister.

Even as a child, she had been a nuisance with a rather large mouth on her. She had grown into, what one might say, a beautiful young lady with a thin, fragile frame, which helped her land a spot in the Peach Creek High cheerleading squad. As beautiful as others may describe her, Eddward found absolutely nothing about her interesting or appealing. Her long auburn hair and dark eyes were just another color, destined to grey and fade in time. Some would find her go-and-get-'em attitude winsome, but it only aggravated Eddward. He would not waste much time or thought on the spunky teen, but he couldn't let her go unpunished. What she had said the day before was unacceptable.

_"Someday the world is gunna catch up to you, Double Douche, and when that happens, I'll be sitting back and watching," she said as she grudgingly handed him her allowance._

_Eddward had brought the price of protection up, and as expected, no one was happy, but everyone knew better than to say a single word about it. Everyone except Sarah, of course._

_He had only smiled at the girl as he put the money into his pocket, and in return, she looked at him through spiteful eyes. "When that day comes, I will openly embrace it, my dear."_

_Once Sarah left along with all the others, Eddward turned towards his friends, scowling in disgust, the right side of his lip raised high. Ed may have been daft, but he knew the look on Eddward's face couldn't mean anything good. There was an violent fire in Eddward's marble-like eyes causing Ed to panic, but he remained in position._

_"Ed, you understand when I say Sarah needs to be taught a lesson, yes?" The teen's voice was like ice and just as phlegmatic. It sent a chilling fear throughout Ed's body._

_Both of his friends' eyes widened at his words as he lit a cigarette. Even Eddy, who had his own issues with Sarah, was in disbelief, and yet, he wasn't surprised with Eddward. The issue was that this was Sarah, Ed's sibling. However, there were no exceptions and Eddy, of all people, knew that. Eddward would call the Kankers and Sarah would get what was coming to her, whether Ed wanted it to happen or not._

_"Please, Eddward. I'll do anything! Please!" Ed begged, his speech impediment perfectly obvious. "She's my baby sister."_

_Eddward shot a harsh glare in Ed's direction causing the bigger teen to tremble, but he didn't like to be mad at his friends for very long. The big guy was only protecting his sibling and Eddward found it truly endearing. However, now was not the time to be moved by such things. His gaze instantly softened and he took a long drag from the cigarette. "Ed, my friend, I like you. Let's not change that."_

_The larger teen looked away in defeat and that was the end of it._

Ed had been "given the day" off by Eddward, who didn't want any interference. Besides, who better to watch May Kanker's bastard than the man who was more than likely the father. It had never been brought up; Eddward wasn't the type to ask, but one could only assume considering the two had been dating at the time. If they still were an item, he could care less. Eddward was content with not knowing everything if that meant _everything_ included where Ed stuck his penis.

Eddy, whose arm had healed in the past month and had somehow managed not to tick Eddward off since, nervously shifted from each foot once the Kankers showed up with Sarah. The Kankers had continued to set Eddy at an unease, and the teen was probably anxious about what would happen next. With Marie at their side, May and Lee held tightly onto each of Sarah's arms as the girl struggled and yelled at them. Once she saw Eddward, her eyes widened and she pulled back in attempts to run away. "No, no, no!" The two Kankers, however continued to pull the girl closer to Eddward with such a force that Sarah fell to her knees. They didn't even bother to let the girl rise to her feet and dragged her until they were a few feet away from Eddward.

"Let me go! Please! Please!" Sarah begged the two girls holding her. May and Lee looked remorseful, but Marie burst into a fit of giggles.

"Sarah, you have nothing to fear from me. I have nothing in store for you," Eddward said once he leaned down onto the balls of his feet, each elbow resting on his thighs. Sarah sighed and smiled nervously to the boy in front of her. A wicked grin appeared on the boys face as he leaned closer, his lips only inches from Sarah's. He looked up at the Kankers, each individually and lasting a good few seconds; Marie seemed to be upset by how close Eddward was to Sarah but he ignored the daggers in her gaze. His voice lowered immensely and was like a car running on a gravel road, picking up the small pebbled with the treaded tires. "What you have to worry about are the ones holding you."

The girl looked up in a panic at her captors as Eddward stood up with a bounce and held his arms behind his back. He stepped backwards, keeping his gaze on Sarah once she looked to him with pleading eyes, but he only grinned.

"The world will catch up with me someday, but it will need to start running."

He turned around just as Marie drove her combat boot into Sarah's stomach and searched his breast pocket for his pack of cigarettes. A frown appeared on his face when he discovered there was only two left, now one. How inconvenient. He lit the stick, struggling with his lighter for a moment until the flame finally erupted from the small device. From behind him, he heard a terrifying crunch that sounded suspiciously like a bone breaking, followed by a pop of something coming out of socket.

At first the teenage girl's piercing screams along with Marie's sickening laughter was exciting, bringing his adrenaline to pump hard through his veins, but soon he found them to be rather annoying when they just repeated at the same pitch, over and over. Eddward pulled out his head phones and put each one in his ears, starting with the left. He only had to look through the music on his phone for a few seconds before he settled on the White Stripes, though he would have gone with Beethoven, but that was a bit too Norman Stansfield* for him. Black Math began and he turned back around, just in time to see Sarah crawling away, her auburn hair in a complete mess, but Marie grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her back. With a heavy step, Marie pressed her boot against Sarah's cheek before she pulled the girl by her long hair. He watched, unamused by Marie's attempts to catch his attention, something she had been struggling to do since the day they met. She realized the hard way that Eddward wanted nothing to do with her, and since that day two years ago she has toned down, but Eddward applauded her dedication.

_Before that day, Eddward hadn't ever hit a girl and he was determined to never do it again. Marie had graduated from heavy flirting to grabbing and groping, despite Eddward's continuous warnings. If there was one thing he was absolutely certain about, it was he had no earthly idea as to where Marie's hands had been, or if she had even washed them afterwards. The touching had gone on for an entire day until he snapped once she had gone over the line. As much as he found it disgusting, he wasn't exactly sure why he'd let it go on so long; he wasn't interested in females, or men for that matter._

_Eddward was softer back then, weaker. He wouldn't make that mistake again; no one would walk on him again._

_Marie had been hanging onto him at the party Nazz had been hosting. Eddward wouldn't have shown up, had he not been worried that it would be seen as a sign of weakness and he supposed the same principle could be applied to Marie's signs of affection. At one point during the party, she had pinched his buttocks and shocked by the gesture, a squeak had escaped his lips. Everyone had laughed in their drunken states, ignoring his warning looks. Angered by this, but not quite to his breaking point, he left the house, out the back door and away from the fumes of whatever they had been smoking. Marie had followed him shortly, lit a cigarette, and threw the fag away to chase him when he went back into the house. At this point Eddward was beyond frustrated, and tried to lose her in the crowd, but she kept close to him, grabbing onto his arm and giggling sweet nothings into his ear. "I know you want it" seemed to be the only words she knew that night. As sweet and repulsive as they were, they indeed meant nothing to the fifteen-year-old boy. Eddward's mind screamed for him to push her away and run from her, but it also shouted for him to snap her neck._

_Eventually, he reached the other side of the room and was about to turn back to shake Marie off of him, but the girl shoved him against the wall and pressed her open mouthed lips against his. His stomach churned and he felt the contents inside it rising, ready to spill into her mouth, but he kept it closed. He wasn't goin to risk even a split moment of her tongue in his mouth. A wet tongue was spreading saliva across his tightly closed lips. The disgusting bile traveled up his throat, settling into his mouth and he cringed before swallowing it. He pushed Marie away and the girl must have been incredibly stupid for she shoved herself back against him. Before Eddward could do anything, her hand was down the front of his pants and gripping his flaccid member. Marie seemed shocked that he wasn't aroused and looked at him, her expression both curious and mocking. Eddward had had enough. He smiled and gripped the girl by her hair, the urge to pull it all out was overwhelming. She must have been assuming he was done playing hard to get, but when he scowled, her smile faded. With all the strength he could muster, he threw her to the side and causing her to fall onto a bookshelf. The contents on the shelves shook and several books fell as well as a few nicknacks._

_The room grew unbelievably quiet, as everyone looked to see what happened. To say the least, they were shocked, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. Marie had fallen to the ground and looked up to Eddward in defeat. Her hair was disheveled and there was a bump on her cheek from one of the shelves, painted with a newly forming bruise of yellow and green. He glared down at her before bending down closer._

_"Don't ever touch me again."_

_Eddward left the party, but not before stepping on the girl's hand._

Eddward didn't like what he had done to Marie, but it seemed to be the only way he could get her to understand he wasn't interested. Her behavior was borderline rapist, and he wouldn't stand for that. He pulled himself out of his thoughts long enough to see Lee throwing a punch at Sarah, who looked worse for wear. Hair matted with blood and dirt, left eye swollen, and lip busted. Her white and green cheerleading outfit was covered in blood, dirt, and grass stains, as well as her legs and arms. Occasionally her mouth would open wide, revealing dirt had somehow gotten inside, and he assumed either she had gotten a mouthful in her struggle or Marie had shoved a handful of the soil into her big trap. He settled with the latter, feeling it was a good punishment for Sarah mouthing off to him. May seemed to be holding back when she kicked Sarah in the stomach, but it only made sense, considering who Sarah was to May and Eddward decided not to hold that against her. Marie grabbed the young teen, pulled her to her feet, and brought Sarah's head down onto her knee. Immediately Sarah fell down and blood gushed from her nose, onto her uniform.

There was a pause as they looked back to Eddward, as if to ask if they were done, and he raised his brow, questioningly. They knew the rules. He had not given them the word to stop, and when he motioned for them to continue, they grudgingly faced the girl once more. Lee sat on Sarah's chest, bringing all of her weight to crush Sarah's chest, and wrapped her hands around the teen's neck. When her face began to turn into a deep shade of purple Lee, let go and sent her fist flying into Sarah's face, hitting her squarely in her already swollen eye. Marie pulled Lee off of the girl and threw her body onto the ground, driving her elbow into Sarah's rib cage. Judging by the look on Sarah's face, there must have been a horrible snap and possibly a broken bone.

The music coming from his headphones was loud enough to mask Sarah's screams, but safe enough as to not harm his eardrums. He listened to the song currently playing, Death Letter, waiting for it to end before interrupting the girls who all kicked Sarah. Eventually it came to a finish and he pulled out his headphones. He listened to the screams a while longer, savoring the sounds of agony, violent skin to skin contact, and the anticipation of the next blow. With a simple clearing of his throat, the three Kankers stopped what they were doing and looked to him, surrounding the crying girl who had curled into a ball. Eddy's eyes were wide and on Sarah, and Eddward couldn't help but roll his eyes. How had the dimwit not gotten used to this by now? Then again, he was Eddy, the weakest link of the trio.

"Thank you, ladies. I believe Ed has your payment. Cash, of course. Now scurry back to your rathole," he said, delight in his voice. The three didn't even bother to look offended by his comment and cut through the woods to the trailer park. Once they left, Eddward walked slowly to Sarah who looked up at him in terror. "What is my name?"

She closed her eyes tight and took a deep, shaky breath. "Eddward."

"And what were you saying to me earlier?"

Her lip trembled as she spoke. "Nothing. I am sorry."

"Apology accepted. Have a nice day," he said as he waved his hand for Eddy to start walking with him. He paused for a moment as he thought of the dreadful stains in Sarah's outfit and turned back to face her. "Oh, Sarah, dear. To get those stains out, use a combination of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap, and make sure to check it before putting it into dryer. Gentle dry. Should work like a charm."

With that ordeal settled, Eddward left with his friend and didn't bother to look back at Sarah. One might be worried that she would go crying to her parents or the police, but ever since the whole Jimmy fiasco, no one dared to do so. Being labeled as a tattletale in Eddward's domain was a dishonorable title, sending the tattletale into ostracization, condemning to the title for as long as they stuck around the town. He was more than confident that Sarah would keep her mouth shut. No one tattled anymore and no one's parents seemed to care. Sarah's parents might ask and she would most likely come up with some story to cover the truth. If they didn't believe her, she would make them believe.

Dark grey clouds had covered the sky, but the sun was unyielding, shining through as much as it could manage. It was a quarter past five, and Eddward was annoyed that he had spent most of his day already. He wondered what to do next since he had cleared today's schedule to settle the conflict with Sarah. Eddward walked as he thought to himself with Eddy trailing behind him at a respectable distance. No one was outside, so he couldn't play with anyone, not that he really wanted to. Eddy was submissive, as he should have been, and he'd already done every experiment he could think of on the stumpy boy. Soon Eddward's mind wandered through a winding maze until the only thing he could see was Kevin.

It had been that way for months now, ever since the night at the playground. All Eddward would have to do was pass him in the hallways at school and Kevin would be runnin through his mind for the remainder of the day. Eventually it got to the point where he didn't have to see Kevin to think about him. He could only go a few hours with his thoughts uninterrupted until the boy seeped back into brain, and even then his mind seemed unusually blank. A clear mind was not what Eddward was used to. It was normal for his brain to be continuously active. He would think of Mozart, Van Gogh, calculus, physics, the steps to solvin Rubik's cube, which university to go to, but his mind never went blank when he thought about one person and he never thought about one person as much as he thought about Kevin. Even the thought of bacteria and germs were absent when the ginger was present on his mind. Kevin, the boy who meant nothing to him until a few months ago- no, who continued to mean nothing to him. Of course the teen was just as inconsequential to him as anyone else, so how was he finding a way into Eddward's thoughts?

"Eddward?"

He looked up to see that Eddy was watching him cautiously. The two of them had stopped walking and Eddward looked around to see that they were in front of Kevin's house. How bothersome. Here he was, thinking of the redhead and just so happened to stop in front of his house without even realizing it. With a look of annoyance, but rather at himself than Eddy, though his little friend wouldn't be able to tell the difference, he glared at Eddy.

The boy shuddered and Eddward raised his eyebrows. "Go," he whispered. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen the stumpy teen run faster than he did at that moment. Eddward watched his friend leave, heading toward the trailer park where he lived. Some time ago, Eddy's mother had moved to the United States with her boyfriend, who completely despised Eddy. After she had left, Eddy began to stay with his older brother, who moved back to Peach Creek in the trailer park. It was a sad story to most, but Eddward didn't really care.

Once Eddy was out of view, Eddward walked up the driveway of Kevin's house and knocked on the front door. From the other side of the thick oak, he heard a scuffle and the clinking of beer bottles and a few seconds later, the door opened. Kevin looked at him questioningly and Eddward pushed passed him, inviting himself in. There was a soft thud and the clicking of the door shutting from behind him and he looked around the room. It was just as disgusting as before, if not more. There seemed to be a sea of beer bottles that Kevin must've had to wade through to get to the door. On the TV played a special about sharks, the glorious creatures they were. His gaze moved from the television to Kevin and he studied him briefly, allowing himself only a short glance as to not draw suspicion. He wanted to know why Kevin was in his thoughts, and he felt it was important to investigate. Maybe he had become obsessed in breaking the redhead and that was the cause of it all. There was nothing peculiar about Kevin, and nothing physically that would be the cause of Eddward's dilemma. He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting; a mysterious purple cloud of magic surrounding Kevin? It seemed highly unlikely that Kevin would be doing this on purpose and the teen probably didn't even know it was happening. Besides, magic was completely fictional and he doubted that even if it were real, Kevin, of all people, would not be able to produce any form of mystical power. Though, the thought got Eddward wondering. At this point, and Eddward felt silly for thinking such a thing, it seemed like the most logical solution. Perhaps the things Ed believed and read in his comic books were true.

"Hey, Eddward," Kevin spoke unwaveringly. "Is everything alright?"

The more Eddward thought about it, the more he believed the suspicion that he was under a spell procured by Kevin, a product of extremely advanced evolution, to weaken him. With a scowl on his face, he ignored the teen's question and headed for the stairs. He knew Kevin would follow him into his bedroom, but he didn't care. Upon entering the room, his eyes searched for something that would confirm his assumptions, but when nothing laid on the surfaces, he began to frantically pull everything apart. He searched the books on Kevin's dresser, reading the titles and quickly skimming through them before discarding the book to the floor. He checked each drawer, the smell of fresh linen filling his nose each time he opened a draw, and feeling brave, even in his state of panic, he dug through the drawers. When he found nothing, he ran to the bed and pulled both the comforter and the pillows off. Eddward quickly glanced at Kevin, who stared at him fearfully, before leaning over and checking under the bed, which was disappointingly clear. So far he had come up empty, but he was certain there would be something in the nightstand. Eddward pulled out each drawer with such a force that they fell out, spilling the contents onto the ground. There was a notebook, a few pens, a wrench and a few other nicknacks, but no signs or witchcraft. His hope began to diminish, and with one last leap of faith, he picked up the notebook and skimmed through it. There were a few pages of algebraic equations and notes on Shakespearen literature, but absolutely no magic.

He threw the notebook aside and jumped up from the ground. Kevin stumbled backwards into the hallway as Eddward walked quickly to him, and pushed the ginger into the wall, placing an arm on each side of him. The moment was brief and lasted no more than a few seconds. It stirred something inside of Eddward, something completely unknown to him, but he didn't bother staying long enough to find out what it was and it would only add more questions later. He was already gone and out of the house.

* * *

**A/N2: *Norman Stansfield is a character portrayed by Gary Oldman in Leon the Professional. If you have not seen the movie, I suggest you do! It's a great movie. A little brutal, but who doesn't like brutal?**


	5. Chapter 5: Hello Operator

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait! Life has been super crazy with the holidays and my new job. I am working nearly forty hours a week, so today will be a Wednesday update instead.

Just as a forewarning, there is sexual content in this chapter.

* * *

When Eddward was fourteen, his parents had noticed his drastic changes. His father talked to him, as he put it, "man to man", but neither of his parents had ever been very good at the whole parenting thing. He claimed that if Eddward continued down the path he was heading, his life would be in ruins and any chance he had at a successful future would be terminated. After his father's failed attempt, his mother made her rounds, however, her strategy was the nurture-over-nature philosophy, claiming that she loved her son more than anything and would do anything she had to in order to help him. Overall, Eddward understood that what they were saying as "stop what you are doing because it's too difficult for us to understand." When he didn't change his ways, they decided it would be in his best interest to send him to the Peach Creek mental facility, a small building on the other side of town that hardly anyone knew existed. Of course he was upset, but he figured he would be out of the place in no time. This, however, was not how it worked out.

In the duration of his stay at the Peach Creek mental facility, which lasted only nine months, he found it very difficult to obey authority, something he also struggled with all of his teachers. Some days, he just couldn't handle the ignorance of the nurses and would snap at them. At one point in time, he had made a female caretaker leave group therapy crying after he told her to "do her blood pressure a favor and eat a salad", and he'd even caused a few other members of staff to transfer to different facilities. Of course many parents of the other patients complained of Eddward's behavior, which ultimately lead to his transfer. The therapist he had assigned to him threatened solitary confinement and he had spent a total of two weeks in the room, spread out of course, but Eddward found it comforting. The room smelled of disinfectant and was much cleaner, it appeared, than any other room, especially the group area. He did not like the other children much, and he was sure they despised him just as equally. At one point, a large blond boy, whose name Eddward did not catch, began to provoke Eddward, which was rather unfortunate for the boy, who came out of the situation with three broken fingers and several bruises. The fight caused Eddward 5 hours of solitary confinement.

Eddward's therapist at the facility had diagnosed Eddward with excessive OCD and an extreme anxiety disorder, but this wasn't new news to the teen. With his fascination with psychology, he had learned this long ago, but when the therapist had prescribed him Zoloft, an antidepressant that also acted as medication for anxiety, he discovered that it lowered his panicking thoughts immensely. It was eye opening since he always believed himself to be above drugs, but he eventually accepted that some seemed to enhance his performance. He took them with pleasure. Prescribing the medication to Eddward seemed to be the only thing his therapist had done right.

He was an idiot, and believed the source of Eddward's problems were his inability to find himself. Eddward found the accusations ridiculous. There was no source of his problems because he had no problems; he was completely content with the person he had become, in fact, he rather enjoyed his new self. Of course the therapist declared that Eddward was in denial, and perhaps he was. No matter, he had, indeed, found himself and that was exactly why he was the way he was. Eddward was relieved when they transferred him to another facility, where he received a new therapist, a kind woman who had high hopes for him. The teen used this to his advantage, and played her like he would a piano. Each month, there would be evaluations held and if the evaluation went well, he would be bumped up to the next level. It started with Bronze, followed by Silver and finally Gold. In three short months of good behavior and sickenly sweet kindness, he was out and sent back home.

Apparently, his absence had not been missed and it seemed that everyone had forgotten about him, assuming he would be gone forever. No one but Ed and Eddy knew of where he was, and according to his friends, everyone had hypothesized he had moved away. His parents were never home, who would know the difference? However, they were wrong.

_Eddward had gotten home late in the afternoon after his parents picked him up from the facility, and upon his arrival, he made it very clear that no matter what they did he would get out and he was, by no means, changing for them. They must have gotten the message because they didn't stop him when he left the house, slamming the door behind him. He'd walked to Ed's house first and knocked on the door. Sarah answered and the blood immediately drained from her face, but she remained strong with a stern, yet annoyed look in her eyes and clenched jaw._

_"Ed," he stated blankly. Without another word, Sarah left to find her older brother. To say Ed was excited to see him wouldn't be correct, but disappointment wouldn't be the right word either. He must have known this day would come. They left for the trailer park, and on their way ran into a few of their childhood friends. All of them scattered away from the scene, running to their homes, but one teen remained in his driveway, oblivious to the world due to the headphones playing in his ears. Eddward grinned and told Ed to fetch Eddy before making his way to the teen._

_Kevin, the redhead who had bullied Eddward as a child, was bent over his bike, adjusting and oiling the chain. Eddward walked casually to the unsuspecting boy with his back was turned to Eddward, and he nearly jumped a foot in the air when Eddward pulled a headphone from his ear. "Boo."_

_The ginger whirled around to face Eddward and backed against his bike, sending it to fall to the ground with a clang. Terror was clear on his face as well as confusion. It was apparent that no one expected Eddward home anytime soon, but that was too good to be true._

_"What are you up to, Pumpkin?"_

_Kevin hesitated, the words or scream, caught in his throat._

_"Working on your bike, I see. You really shouldn't knock it over like that; you might bend the frame," Eddward said, observing the bike. Red frame, customized wheels, and pegs. All the makings of a teenage boy's ideal bicycle. The dark haired teen leaned over and picked the bike up carefully, before propping it back onto it's kickstand. Kevin remained silent. "No thank you? Or welcome back, for that matter? How rude you are, Pumpkin. Perhaps I should teach you some manners."_

_Kevin's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, as he attempted to speak. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to- I just… Welcome back, Eddward, and thank you."_

_Eddward rolled his eyes. "I appreciate the effort, but it's a little too late for that." He pulled his fist back and brought it to the boy's face._

Guilt sunk in. Eddward didn't know what brought him to think of this particular moment in time. His mind had been doing that to him quite often recently, delving further and further into the past even though he didn't care for such things. It also eventually lead to Kevin, and ever since his last visit to the teen's house, his thoughts became more intense. A flutter was sent throughout him as he thought of the boy's ginger hair and the freckles spread out like a galaxy on his face. He caught himself licking his lips once those hazel eyes were all Eddward could see when he closed his own brown eyes, and scowled at himself in disgust. This, whatever he was feeling, was not good, that he knew for sure, and he was positive he'd only felt this way once before. When Eddward was younger, he'd developed a crush on Nazz, but that immediately faded after his transformation and now that it was back, he couldn't help the panic swarming his body.

He took pride in his asexuality, and saw anything else as a distraction; a weakness. Kevin was breaking him, and Eddward felt foolish for allowing it to go on this long without him noticing. He felt even more foolish that he assumed Kevin was using magic of all things. There was no magic involved and if he hadn't been so blind, he could have caught it earlier on and put a stop to it. His heart began to race as he desperately searched his brain for a way to bring it to a stop, but his thoughts kept drifting towards Kevin.

Kevin. Kevin. Kevin. _Kevin_. Why was this feeble-minded, asinine little cretin making such an impact on him? He was nothing but an opprobrious imbecile, incompetent of performing any task that didn't involve the motorcycle he'd saved up for. So absorbed and obsessed with the damn thing. Truly oblivious of the grease he had wiped onto his forehead. Ignorant of the fact that as he drank from his water bottle, water dripped down his chin and throa- Eddward dug the heels of his palms into his eye sockets and attempted to push the memory from last summer out of his head.

This was only a weakness, it could be overcomed. It would just require _time_ and _patience_.

The teen let his hands run down his face, stopping them at his mouth as yet another thought, or more so, idea popped into his head, and no matter how hard he tried to shake it, it remained unmoved. Eddward thought of Kevin shirtless, imagining the boy's tanned shoulders were sprinkled with golden freckles. He could almost feel the teen's chest and abdomen on the tip of his tongue, and before he knew it, he thought of Kevin's warm mouth wrapped around-

Shocked by his own thoughts, Eddward stood up from the bed and paced his room before deciding on leaving his room. It was a very rare occasion when Eddward decided to spend an extended amount of time somewhere other than his bedroom, but it was only one other room. He stepped into his boots and walked down the stairs to the living room, where his mother's piano resided. A glorious and mystical creature was she, in pristine condition, perfectly smooth and glowing with a finish coat over her black form. Eddward sat at the stool, placed his hands upon the keys and feet on the pedals.

When Eddward was just a small child, his mother had forced him into lessons, but he never complained. After all, it seemed to be the only bonding time he ever had with his mother and when he was younger, he cherished those moments. She had called him a natural, _perhaps even a prodige_, but over time, the lessons with his mother slowly came to a stop. It was very rare when Eddward decided to play, but every so often, when his mind was too clouded and the medication didn't help, he would play. It soothed him.

His hands roamed the keys, in a random melody of his own. He never found it very appealing to use other's work and it was much more comforting to let his hands to go their own course. Eddward took pride in his inability to makes mistakes as he played, long fingers dancing along the piano. The melody he played today was fast and rather upbeat, matching his heart's pace. He played and played, but no matter how much he fiddled with the keys, Kevin wouldn't leave his mind. Eddward continued to play, missing a key causing him to play off note and he slammed his hands down on the keys, a notion his mother would condemn if she was present; a notion, if under different circumstances, Eddward, himself would be appalled by his own actions. He stood up, pushed the stool under the piano and retreated back to his room.

His pants were tight around his groin as he fell on the bed. He quickly began to realize that nothing would rid him of this feeling unless he took care of it himself, and the thought caused Eddward to scowl at himself as he ran his left hand down his stomach. It was a disgusting act that only proved him to be weak. He ran his hand over his jeans, rubbing his member through the thick fabric. There was a pause before he unbuttoned his pants, revealing his red boxers, and the chill air caused him to recoil, but only slightly. Eddward lifted his lower body from the bed and pushed down both his pants and underwear. He hesitated once his hand gripped the warm flesh. He hadn't done this in years; he didn't have any need to. He found more pleasure in the pain he had brought to others. This was completely foreign to him now.

With a deep breath, he began to stroke himself. It was soft at first, as he thought about running his fingers threw Kevin's red hair and tracing the boy's chest and stomach. Once the thoughts grew heavier, his grip became tighter as he pumped furiously. Eddward thought of Kevin's mouth wrapped around his cock, wet and warm and sucking. Tongue tracing his velvety head and flicking over the slit at the top. He could feel the orgasm coming, and he was almost at his climax when he thought of Kevin buried deep inside of him. The very thought sent him over the edge, spilling his cum onto his shirt. After a few more strokes, he laid there in complete ecstasy, staring up at the ceiling above him.

When he regained himself, he pulled up his pants, carefully peeled the shirt off and threw it into his hamper. Even after he had taken care of himself, he knew that he would never be free of Kevin. The redhead continued to roam his thoughts and he enjoyed it, but what scared Eddward the most was that he wanted Kevin. He didn't want to hurt Kevin anymore, or even break him, but he had to. Eddward couldn't afford to let his guard down or have any weaknesses. Kevin's power over him had to cease and Eddward would make absolute sure of it.

* * *

Kevin had to be stopped, or at least, whatever fictitious delusion of the boy Eddward had created in his mind. The best way to do so was to eradicate it from the source, and Eddward had come up with a plan. He had to crush whatever feelings he had for Kevin and in doing so, he would have to hurt Kevin. No, a beating would not suffice. It had to be much worse, but it would take _time_. _Patience_. First, he would have to continue with the first part of his original desire; befriend Kevin. If he could do that, he would find no difficulties in completing his final objective.

A long time ago, Eddward had spent a little time in collecting all the children of the cul-de-sac's cell phone numbers, that was, if they possessed one. It was not very often that he called, or even texted one of them. Most of them were oblivious to the fact that he had their phone number. If they received a new phone or number, it was only a matter of time before he found out and acquired their new digits. Eddward thought the best way to help further the new found friendship with Kevin along was to do what normal teenagers did and text him. He couldn't deny the anxiety brewing in him once he sent the first text.

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:16:29**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Hello.**

He waited patiently, legs crossed and back perfectly upright, with his phone in front of him on the bed. A few minutes of waiting. Patiently waiting. _Patience is a virtue, Eddward._ The seconds passed, turning into minutes. What felt like hours was only twenty minutes when the other teen finally responded.

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:36:17**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**who is this**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:36:38**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Take a wild guess.**

More minutes passed, nine minutes and forty-three seconds, to be exact.

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:45:21**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**uh man idk nazz**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:45:29**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Your lack of punctuation grieves me.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:49:11**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Eddward?**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:50:02**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Ding ding. We have a winner.**

The response was almost immediate.

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:50:15**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**oh hey sorry i didnt know it was you**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:50:33**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Obviously.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:51:17**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**yeah**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:51:23**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**whats up**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:52:06**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Absolutely nothing.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:52:43**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**oh ok do u need something**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:53:12**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**No. I just thought we'd have a little chat.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:53:43**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**ok bout what**

_About what?_ About what? Eddward hadn't really thought it through. What would they talk about? How on earth would he possibly build a friendship with Kevin? He had not a clue as to what they could talk about. This was certainly proving itself to be a difficult and tedious task.

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 19:57:17**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**That is what friend's do, yes?**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 19:58:34**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**friends**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:01:07**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Is that a statement or a question?**  
**Remember, Pumpkin, punctuation is important.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:03:21**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**it was a question. srry**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:04:20**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**No need to apologize.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:04:56**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**why do you want to be friends**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:05:20**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**I find your bland sense of humor and cowardice truly endearing.**  
**Do I really need a reason?**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:06:14**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**no i guess not**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:06:59**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**You are free to choose whether or not you will accept my friendship,**  
**though I strongly advise you do not refuse my offer. As you can imagine,**  
**there are perks to being my friend.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:07:15**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**we can be friends**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:08:24**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Excellent. What are you doing currently?**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:08:32**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**sitting in my room why?**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:10:45**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Would you be opposed to going out?**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:11:41**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**right now? on a school night?**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:12:12**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Yes, right now, on a school night.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:13:02**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**idk i have a test tmrrw so…**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:12:12**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**What class?**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:13:02**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**algebra 2**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 21:13:26**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**Subject?**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 21:14:21**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**quadratic equations. im prolly gonna bomb it.**

Eddward grinned. What a perfect opportunity.

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:13:26**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**I could help you study, if you are willing to spare an hour or two.**

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 20:14:07**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**you d do that? wow awesome man**

**To: Pumpkin**  
**From: Me (8075550221)**  
**Sent: 20:14:33**  
**Subject: (none)**  
**I am sure you want to get out of your house, yes? We can have our study**  
**session at my place of residence. Bring your textbook and study packet,**  
**along with whatever else you may need. Don't bother with a (1/2)**  
**calculator, unless, of course, you have some sort of attachment to yours.**  
**I will see you in ten minutes.(2/2)**

Not bothering to check for a reply, Eddward stood up and quickly paced his room, thinking of what to do to prepare for Kevin's arrival. His room, spotless. Bathroom, spotless. He hardly touched the other rooms of the house, so he needn't worry about that. The teen stepped into his bathroom and studied his reflection. Should he take off his hat or change into some more casual clothes to perhaps make himself look sympathetic and comfortable? Friends are comfortable around each other, yes. He took off his hat, revealing his disheveled black hair, shortly followed by his red sweater, leaving him in a white t-shirt. After furthering his studies of his reflection, he decided against leaving his hat off. He didn't want to look too comfortable, and besides, how could he think such a thing? Eddward never went anywhere without his hat.

He ran his fingers through his hair in attempts to tame his hair, and when a few minutes passed, he gave up and scowled at himself. How pathetic of him worrying about his appearance. It had nothing to do with looking sympathetic or comfortable, and he knew he couldn't lie to himself. He wanted to look appealing to the redhead, and the desire meant he had to hurry in playing out his plan. _Make friends first, of course. You can do that, Eddward_, he thought to himself. It was much easier now that an opportunity presented itself to him. If this study session went well, he could easily gain Kevin's trust.

The doorbell rang and Eddward's heart began to race. Another scowl as he tried to calm himself. Eddward checked the clock on his wall before heading downstairs; Kevin was three minutes early.

"Hello, Pumpkin," Eddward said once he opened the door, sending a chilling breeze to bite his skin.

Standing on the doorstep in only a pair of jeans and what Eddward was sure was a band t-shirt, the boy's teeth were chattering as he shivered in the cold, holding his textbook close to his chest. Goosebumps trailed his freckled arms and when Eddward invited the boy in- _"Please, do come in"_- Kevin's glasses immediately grew cloudy upon entering the house. The ginger looked around the living room, allowing his eyes to wander, and jumped when Eddward spoke after closing the door.

"My room is upstairs. We will have our study session there. Would you like to have something to eat or drink?"

Kevin shook his head. "No thanks. I'm good."

"Really? Well, I, myself, am terribly hungry," Eddward said, making his way to the kitchen and Kevin cautiously trailed behind him. The dark haired teen opened the fridge and pulled out a water bottle as well as a fruit cup. "Are you sure you aren't hungry?"

"I mean… I guess I could have something," Kevin smiled nervously.

Eddward held out an arm, gesturing to the cupboards and fridge. "Please, help yourself. Mi casa es tu casa."

While Kevin began to search for something to eat, Eddward opened the water bottle, poured a few Xanax from his pill bottle into his hand, and threw them back before chasing them with water. Kevin settled on a bowl of potato chips and a can of Coke and they made their way to Eddward's room. Immediately they went to work, Eddward very calmly explaining the equations to Kevin, careful not to get upset when he had to explain more than once. Occasionally his mind would wander, much like it was doing now. It was hard for his thoughts not to get lost when the other teen was chewing on his pencil, and running his hands through his ginger hair.

"Eddward?"

Eddward blinked a few times and looked to the teen. "Yes?"

"So what about this one? x^2+ 12x = 0? How does that work? There is no c or a," Kevin said, frustration perfectly clear on his face.

"They are both there, you just can't see them. A equals 1. We don't write 1x2. C isn't shown because it's a 0."

Kevin's hazel eyes moved from Eddward, to the packet in front of him. "So, technically it's 1x^2 + 12x + 0 = 0?"

"Technically, yes."

"Oh… Oh! I get it now. So to solve it, what do I do?"

Eddward pointed to the equation at the top of the packet: x = [ -b ± √(b^2-4ac) ] / 2a. "You have all the coefficients, so now all you have to do is plug them in."

"Coefficients?"

"A, b, and c."

"Oh, ok. I got it," Kevin murmured, before writing down the equation and putting in the coefficients.

"And then you use the order of operations."

"Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, right?" Kevin grinned at him.

"Yes, Aunt Sally has quite the mouth on her."

Kevin laughed, ringing in Eddward's ear. He hadn't heard the boy laugh in a long time, something of his own doing. The guilt settled in, burrowing itself deep into his heart. He rolled his head, cracking his neck and pushed the thoughts aside.

"So x equals 0 or -12?" Kevin asked once he finished the equation.

"Yes, you did well."

Kevin grinned and leaned back with a look of triumph plastered on his face. "Man, I get it now. Thanks, Double D-" His eyes widened. "I mean, Eddward. I am sorry- I didn't mean to-"

The other teen held up his hand. "Don't fret. It was an honest mistake. Just don't make it again."

"Yeah, sorry. I won't, I promise," Kevin said skeptically.

Eddward looked to the clock on his wall. "Well, it's almost 10. You should get going so you have a full night of sleep before your test."

The two stood up as Kevin scrambled to collect his things. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, man. I won't bomb the test anymore thanks to you."

"It was my pleasure, Pumpkin," Eddward smiled before leading the boy downstairs and out of the house. "Good luck."

"Thanks!"

Once Kevin left, Eddward took a deep breath. That went well, very well, in fact. Gaining the teen's trust would be easier than he thought, though he knew Kevin would still be skeptical of Eddward's sudden proposal of friendship. He went back to his room, ready to retire for the night and laid on his bed when his phone vibrated.

**To: Me (8075550221)**  
**From: Pumpkin**  
**Sent: 21:56:18**  
**Subject: :)**  
**thnx eddward you really saved my ass  
**

* * *

**A/N 2:** I am extremely irritated with because it would not let me use the HTML source, so now it looks way worse than what it actually would if it would let me do what I wanted to! So, if you are interested, go here. It looks much better.


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